Zuiderdam MegaVoyage 2018-2019, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Part 2 of 2

I got up in the wee hours of the morning to view the sail into Amsterdam along the North Sea Canal….  The first thing I learned that it was a very chilly morning…  Enjoyed seeing the sights along the way and was primed for our adventure in Holland today.  We were met our Tours by Locals guide Eric Nieuwenhuize at the cruise ship terminal and left Amsterdam to see windmills and the countryside. Within a few minutes we were outside of Amsterdam where we got out and climbed up to walk on Holland’s famous dike system. We were headed to an area north of Amsterdam and known as the Waterlands, a rural area with the landscape shaped by grassy polders, streams, colorful wooden houses and traditional Dutch farmhouses.  The area is so unique, the Netherlands has granted it National Heritage status. We continued driving along the countryside roads seeing the charming historical homes on our way to the town of Monnickendam. In Monnickendam we walked around this 16th century town seeing the inner harbor and the oldest Speeltoren carillon bells which chime at noon with a little mechanical show. Next, we made our way to the village of Marken, strolling amongst wooden houses all painted in a dark green, along the harbor, over draw bridges and down narrow alleyways…   It felt like you had gone back in time. On our way to Edam we stopped at the Henri Willig Cheese farm and sampled a variety of cheeses. Of course, Edam is famous for its cheese but is also a beautiful 17th century historical town that was one of the most important cities in the Middle Ages...we strolled through the flat, narrow streets of this picturesque village to the Bell Tower and reveled in the history of some of the houses here, which date back to the 1600s....before leaving Edam we stopped at the oldest church in Holland with amazing stained glass windows. We drove along the Beemster and Schermer polders...reclaimed land that is a UNESCO world Heritage area...this area was once was a lake that was drained, using windmills, to make farm land...next we stopped at the Schermerhorn Molena, a series of 400-hundred-year-old working windmills...we were able to tour the inside and get a close up view of how a windmill works. Next, we drove to the old city of Haarlem, parked the car and started a walkabout...we walked to the city's famous Grote Markt square, flanked by the impressive St. Bavo Church, its ancient buildings, cobbled streets and winding waterways, the medieval city of Haarlem is a beautiful scaled-down version of Amsterdam...spending time in Haarlem was a great finish to our day in Holland.